NEW LONDON, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – Starting Monday, the Gold Star Memorial Bridge along I-95 spanning the Thames River in New London and Groton will undergo a massive facelift.
Keith Schoppe, project engineer with Connecticut Department of Transportation, says the project on the southbound side of I-95 will “[rehabilitate] the bridge starting this year and going through November of 2018.”
“We’re going to be repairing the concrete substructures, we’re going to be doing structural field repairs,” he continued. “A lot of what the public is going to see is the work on the bridge deck.”
Schoppe says the old asphalt will be stripped and the concrete patched, in addition to re-paving of the bridge.
In order to minimize impact on traffic during the busy summer travel season on the 44-year-old bridge, the DOT plans to put barriers across the bridge and keep four lanes open for the summer. “What we tried to do on this project is keep as many lanes open as possible, especially for the summer months,” said Schoppe. “We feel that will alleviate a lot of the traffic concerns.”
Work on the southbound span of the bridge is predicted to cost about $30 million. Another project for the older northbound bridge is planned for next year.
